Nike China’s Kobe X deadly quickness temple

Client: Nike China

Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai

Market: China

Campaign scope: Digital, OOH, interactive   

Background: To commemorate the launch of Kobe Bryant’s new Kobe X shoes, Nike and Wieden+Kennedy developed a three-part campaign experience designed to bring Chinese basketball players into the mind of Kobe and “show them Kobe’s Deadly Quickness” first-hand.

The campaign kicked off in early February with billboards and banners to announce the launch of Kobe X. It was then followed by a mobile game – Kobe X Deadly Quickness Test. The game consisted of 3 bite-sized, quick, but intriguing puzzles that put peoples’ reflexes, analytical power and problem solving skills to the test.

On the day it launched, it was tried 300,000 times and the select few that passed the test received mysterious gifts from Kobe himself. The game became a hot topic on Chinese social media. Forums sprang up devoted to tips, tricks and ways to pass the difficult tests. And as of March 23^rd, over 15 million kids have played the game.

The final stage of the campaign brought the quickest basketball players in China to their final challenge – The Kobe X Deadly Quickness Temple.

For 10 days, the art space “1933” in Shanghai was transformed into a basketball experience – a journey through the mind of Kobe Bryant.

Details: The basketball experience was divided into five tests and featured the following blurbs:

Test 1 – Do you have Kobe’s Engine heart?

“Kobe can destroy an entire defense and win a game within seconds. He can do this because he has the heart to win and conquer. This is test is to prove whether you have the same unstoppable passion as Kobe. You have to use your quick steps to light a room up within 15 seconds.”

Test 2 – Can you attack like a Mamba Stealth Plane?

“Kobe isn’t just powerful, he’s fast and comes from nowhere to surprise. Can you attack as swift and deadly as Kobe? This challenge puts your agility, co-ordination and speed to the test. Your challenge is to move through a maze of bells without setting any one of them off.”

Test 3 – Are you as accurate as the Mamba Arrow?           

“Kobe is sharp like a sniper. One shot. One kill. This test puts your precision and reflexes to the test. You’re placed in a dark room and when a target board lights up, you strike it with your hands. You have 30 seconds to hit 15 of them.”

Test 4 – Are you quick enough to escape from the jaws of a shark?      

“Kobe can dive into the mouth of a shark, weave through multiple defenders, sink the basket and get out before its jaws closes. This challenge puts your basketball skills, confidence, instincts and Deadly Quickness to the test. You have 30 seconds to beat the opponent, sink the basket and escape from a closing gate.”

Test 5 – Are you worth of Kobe’s 5-ring Sword.

“Kobe’s 5 rings didn't come easy, but he won them all because of his focus and unquestionable commitment. Coupled with his Deadly Quick instincts, he could clinch anything he wants in the world. This test puts you through confusion, unpredictability and chaos to see if you have what it takes to grab all 5 glories.”

What it looked like inside the Kobe X deadly quickness temple:

Campaign Asia Pacific's comments: Other than the fact that this campaign is like Bruce Lee’s ‘Game of Death’ meets Tron Legacy, the whole thing just looks, sounds and feels pretty awesome. Love the integration between online and offline, content and interactive, brand and product, consumer and brand ambassador. It’s also a great example of using gamification in the right context.   

CREDITS

*Credits will be updated into the article when they become available